MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia’s 30th humanitarian convoy for residents of southeastern Ukraine (Donbass) has left the Rostov Region and is headed for Donetsk and Lugansk with over 1,000 tonnes of Russian and 12 tonnes of Cyprian aid.
"The convoy left the Donskoy rescue center in the Rostov Region at 04:00 Moscow time [01:00 GMT]. On its way to the state border it will split into two approximately equal parts, one of which will go to the Donetsk region, while the other one will head for the region of Lugansk," a spokesperson of the Russian Emergencies Ministry told RIA Novosti early on Thursday.
The convoy consists of over 100 vehicles with more than 1,000 metric tons of aid, including food (flour, grains, pasta, vegetable oil), medicine and items of first necessity. The convoy also includes 12 metric tons of aid gathered by social and volunteer organizations in Cyprus.
Overall, Russia has sent more than 37,000 metric tons of aid to Donbass since August 2014.
The region has been suffering from a humanitarian crisis triggered by Kiev’s military operation, which was launched in April 2014 in response to local residents’ refusal to recognize the new coup-installed government.
